Final Battle
by EternalStarhaven
Summary: The golden crystal has a story of it's own, different than the other crystals that the Sailor Senshi possess. Darien starts to realize that a woman lives inside of it, protecting him for thousands of life times, appearing before him as Chaos tried to absorb him and the crystal. Now, he has nightmares that won't go away, and he must watch each past life to uncover the truth.


The Final Battle

Chapter One

(The Warrior In The Crystal)

* * *

Darien woke with a start, her image burned into his mind. For weeks he had dreamt of her, covered in blood, and surrounded with black and gold flame. Awake or asleep, she plagued him with images that made no sense to him. Who was she, and why did she seem to replace all his memories of Serena?

For years he had wondered if destiny had chosen right, if there wasn't another. Serena had a lot of admirable qualities, and he didn't mind the fact that she was his girlfriend, but he didn't love her either. The last time he had tried to break up with her, he not only was doing it to save her life, but to make sense of the nightmares that plagued him.

He only ever saw her at a distance, with golden hair and black highlights, wearing a black sailor uniform with gold trimming. On her back, was a sword of black and gold flame, wings at the hilt, the same as the black and gold wings that extended from her back.

It had only been a week since their return from the Galaxy Cauldron. All of the senshi tried to return to normal life, but Serena seemed to struggle the most, greatly affected with their deaths and her confused feelings towards one of the Star Lights that had helped guide and protect her after their deaths.

Serena had suffered so much for them, and she never asked for the responsibility. She simply endured, not for heroism, or reward, but because of the love for her friends.

Why did they continue to battle so many enemies recently, and why did it seem they were all connected somehow?

_I believe that is the first real question you've asked in several centuries, Sol._

She stood before him in the mirror, her motlen, gold eyes staring back at him. He saw no sign of emotion, and the spark in her gaze seemed non-existent. _Why did you call me that?_

They were communicating with only their minds, but it was probably for the best, just in case one of the Sailor Senshi walked into his apartment and thought him crazy for talking to a mirror. You are close to the past, but not yet ready for what it reveals.

Her image started to pull away, and he reached out, connecting with the glass, but not her. Watching her leave hurt, and he struggled to breathe. _Don't go._

_To serve and to protect... That is my only purpose, nothing more and nothing less._ And she was gone, and he cried out in agony. Why did he feel as if someone was squeezing his heart with a vice, twisting and squeezing it until it might burst? This emotion, it was nothing like what he felt for Serena; it was pure, and strong.

Why did she think that? There was no anger in her voice, only a quiet acceptance, but he had sensed the deep loneliness in her, the isolation her task had caused, and regret. Perhaps she wasn't aware, but he sensed her emotions none-the-less, and they were strong despite her carefully guarded expression.

She had called him Sol, but he was Darien in this life time, and Endymion in the last. How many life times had he lived? Putting on his favorite sweats and black shirt, he laced up his shoes and started to run, trying to shake the nightmare, and figure her out. Was she real? Why did he always seem to have dreams of people he needed to remember but could not?

Serenity was from his last life, during the Silver Millennium, but none of the Sailor Senshi ever mentioned another. However, he also recalled that no one other than Luna or Artmesis were aware of the four outer senshi either. It was their tasks to know the histories and legends of the Senshi's beginnings. Then there was Amy's Mercury computer, going back to a span of time, that she probably didn't even know. And Raye had the ability to fire read, but could she do it through him and unlock the mystery behind the unknown warrior.

She said he wasn't ready to know, but he disagreed with her. The gut wrenching pain in his chest wouldn't go away, and he sped up, uncaring of the other pain of when he pushed himself to far. If he ran hard enough, and fast enough, maybe he can rid of himself of that horrible sight; so much blood. Had she died?

Unaware of his surroundings, he nearly ran into them, the outer senshi looking at window with Hotaru. Damn she had grown big, and in such a short amount of time. She wouldn't grow like this unless something extreme was coming again. Was it Chaos? The Galaxy Cauldron had said Chaos would return, that all the enemies from before were creations of Chaos and she had managed to achieve the status of a Sailor Senshi herself. The thought horrified and terrified him at the same time.

_It's much more complicated that. She's on the verge of becoming the Dark Cosmos, the destroyer of all Galaxy Cosmos throughout the Universe, and her ultimate goal is not even those, but the one that created them; the Universe Cosmos, the bringer of life, light, and love. Every star, every moon, and every planet came in creation because he created the Galaxy Cauldrons, and inside them there was a single being known as a Galaxy Cosmos. They create the stars that travel to various locations in their Cosmos, which in turn create a planet, a star, and a moon._

_There is only one Universe Cosmos,and without him, all life will die and we return to darkness._

_Is that why you died?_

_Did I? _

And she was gone, and it took all his will power not to sink to the ground and pound his fists until they bled. It did not stop the tears from sliding down his cheeks, however, and the outer senshi were suddenly surrounding him, Setsuna studying him quietly. Did she know? The time guardian knew so much, most of which she kept to herself unless asked. It didn't mean that she would answer those questions.

"It's her, isn't it?" Setsuna spoke, surprising them all, including Darien.

"Who?" Haruka asked. Darien was shaking, and he allowed them to sit him on a bench, his head held in his hands.

"I can't get her out of my head. She's always there, ever since Chaos consumed us and tried to take the golden crystal. Unlike the other Senshi, she fought back, surrounding me in a golden light of black, and gold fire. Chaos seemed afraid of it, but she kept trying to break through the impenetrable barrier. The harder she tried, the angrier the crystal seemed to become. For a time, it was glowing a bright red, gold and black and lashed out with a heat so strong that Chaos screamed in pain. Eventually she left us.

"I thought we became part of the Star Crystals?"

"I didn't, but I was inside of it. At first, the crystal did nothing other than keep Chaos from taking it. However, Chaos finally stopped trying to attack the crystal and went after me, determined to kill the one it was protecting. Then the senshi inside of the crystal appeared, always between Chaos and myself. She never complained, not once, as if her entire purpose was to keep me alive."

"May I see it," Setsuna asked, holding out her hand. Darien hesitated, hating to part with the crystal even for a moment. However, if he were to get the answers he needed, which wouldn't come from the woman in the crystal, he had no choice. The crystal flashed, growing warm as if angry that he'd give her to the Time Warrior.

"Does it always glow that bright," Michuru asked.

"Only if agitated." Staring at the crystal, Setsuna seemed to lose herself, her eyes distant, as if she were communicating with the being inside of it. After several minutes, she came back, gasping for air, sweat on her brow, and her features pale.

"What is it?"

"We need the others, now. I'll explain later." Looking to Darien, she seemed to have made a decision, and they both vanished, and re-appeared before several time portals."

"I thought no one was allowed here."

"You were always welcomed here, but the knowledge here, the gateways to the past, present, and future is dangerous. Until now, I didn't tell you, because you weren't ready for that kind of truth, and I disagree with the Sun Warrior. We need you to remember, and it has to be soon."

"Why me?"

"You were always the target, not Sailor Moon, and the Sailor Senshi. However, Chaos started to realize the power within Sailor Moon and the Silver Crystal was no longer a matter to ignore. So she went after the friends she cared enough about to take them out. In one future, it nearly destroyed her and as Chaos destroyed every Star Crystal throughout the Universe, and epic war raged between the future Sailor Moon and Chaos, with no victor. In that scenario, Sailor Moon, also referred mistakenly as Sailor Cosmos, fought on her own for thousands of years and finally fled to the present, where she tried to guide Serenity to destroy the Galaxy Cauldron and Chaos with it."

"However, when Serenity chose to die, rather than destroy the place that created other Star Crystals, she released Chaos as well, to wonder the Galaxy until she regains her form, and later her powers."

"None of them remember her?"

"None of them existed before the Sun Warrior, only myself. I was not the Time Warrior then, but I often visited the other planets as a young child and I met her, a lonely child without any friends. Everyone seemed so afraid of her, and I remember the pain I saw in her eyes, but never in her expression. She had learned, even as young as five, to never show them how their words hurt."

"One day, you appeared. It was the first time anyone had seen her respond with anything other than resentment and cold silence. She smiled at you, and offered a flower that none of us had seen before. One of the other rulers slapped her hard, and she fell, holding her cheek. He told her she had no right to present herself to people above her station, and he raised his hand to strike her again, but you inserted yourself between them, your expression lethal."

"Strike her again, and I will take my anger out on you and your entire race." It wasn't a threat, and they quickly pulled away, but their fear of her grew."

"Why? She was just a child."

"That child had tremendous power, and her entire people were wiped out in a consolidated war orchestrated by the entire Terran system. Somehow she survived, and the Moon Queen at the time took her in. Not as her own child, but because she alone did not believe in war, or the killing of an innocent child. The other kingdoms decided to leave her, but with the promise that the Sun child never leave the moon and never use her powers. To do so, was instant death, but with your appearance, that had changed. Anyone that dared to harm or kill her, they risked the destruction of their entire planet the way they had destroyed the Sun People.

After that, she became impenetrable to read, showing no emotion to anyone. It was like she didn't want them to reach to the core of her loneliness, the resentment she had against the planets that had destroyed everyone she loved or knew. I don't know how much she remembered, but she had been only a year old when the Moon Queen took her in. One day, I risked the wrath of my father and mother to approach her.

She terrified me on an entirely different level. One look into her golden eyes and I felt like she knew everything about me, but they were cold and void of emotions like kindness or compassion. 'I'm sorry.'

The Sun child blinked for a moment, a brief moment of something other than cold indifference. It didn't last, and she turned and left, her golden hair brushing against the back of her knees. Others parted if she walked past, looks of fear and hatred on their faces. She didn't seem to care. The child became a woman, always alone, and always looking at the Sun that had once been her world. I don't think she ever knew her mother or father, and I wondered if she wanted that knowledge, but no one had that answer to give her."

Pluto seemed lost in the past she described, and when she looked up at her, tears streamed down her face like a river. "I wanted to reach through those thick barriers she erected around her heart, but I didn't know how. No one deserved that kind of hatred, or loneliness. To my knowledge, she never harmed anyone, not even the other kids that chose to bully and hit her. She took their beatings with silent acceptance. If you appeared, she said nothing about the marks and bruises on her skin, but they knew noted your anger, and the beatings and bullying stopped instantly.

This time she didn't smile at your appearance, nor did she approach as she had as a child. She started to turn away, already at distance from the crowd around you. Ignoring their greetings, you went after her, snatching her wrist and forcing her to face you. It was the second time I saw a crack in that shell of hers, her golden eyes staring at your hand in confusion and something I had never seen there before; hope. Hope for a friend, hope for someone that actually cared and didn't want to hurt her as everyone else had. Did she have a sword with her, when she appeared inside the crystal to protect you?"

"It was a black sword with a gold fire around it. Gold and black wings were on the hilt and she used it against the enemies she sent against us."

"The second time you visited, when you had stopped her retreat, you made the sword and handed it to her. You told her to stop hiding her true potential, that it didn't matter what others thought, but to stand proud and strong against the darkness that threatened the Terran system. No one knew what he spoke of, but he had just given her his permission to use the power they all feared."

Darien couldn't believe the story she told, of a young girl, growing into a woman, and never once knew kindness or love. "Do I continue?" Pluto spoke. As Darien nodded, she continued the story. "In secret, I went to her again, trying to become a friend that I knew she needed. At first she ignored my efforts, but when I continued to appear, I noticed a gradual change, that she seemed less cold, and more receptive of my presence. She knew to tell no one of our encounters. They left her alone for fear of you, but I did not have that same restriction and she feared for my well-being, if not life.

I offered to help her learn how to use the weapon you had given her, and at first she refused. She had no desire to defend the people that hated and killed her own, but one day, she spoke. I don't think I had ever heard her voice before that day, and it was soft. 'I don't want to be like them... That man, the one that gave me this sword... I know the others fear me, but I will stand against the darkness he spoke of. That is my only purpose, to serve and to protect.'"

"She told me that, just after I woke from that nightmare."

"What did you see?"

"Her lying on the ground, the life quickly draining from her like the blood that left her body. She seemed so alone, and she didn't reach out for anyone to hold her as she lied dying in front of everyone. I think someone did run to her side, and she seemed surprised that she risk the anger of her people just to hold her hand."

"Do you remember how she got that way?"

Darien shook his head, but the way she regarded him, his gut twisted, and he crashed to the ground, somehow sensing the reason had been because of him. "She stopped something from killing me; didn't she?"

"Your enemy followed you to the Terran system and began attacking the other planets. She waged a war against her and the demons that she released, moving from one planet to the next, ignoring the inhabitants and only focused on the battle before her. The armies came to rely on her, growing to respect her despite the rules against speaking or interacting with her. That's when a change began to occur, a single child from each ruler on the various other planets, came to help her after each encounter, trying to give her something to eat, a bandage to wrap around her many wounds, and some simply a hug.

She never rejected their efforts to give her affection, but the expression on her face always remained indifferent, as if she cared nothing for anyone. I knew it was to protect herself, and she feared to let anyone that close so they could hurt her in a way none of the physical wounds inflicted on her could.

And then she appeared, taking on the Sun Warrior with rage and an intensity none had ever seen before. The clash shook the nine planets, and suddenly you appeared, furious that she'd attack a star system that lacked the ability to protect itself. I don't think you ever intended for her to fight your enemy alone, but no one else had her kind of power and we had to stand and watch. That's when she changed the hearts of everyone, the way she continued to stand each time she hit the ground, the way she kept her from hurting the bystanders.

I don't think she knew you were there, and then the enemy unleashed a black darkness straight for you. The Sun Warrior made a choice, throwing herself in front of her, her sword lying on the ground, and her arms spread wide and, taking the full brunt of the attack. At that moment, black and gold wings sprouted on her back and she transformed, but it was too late and she fell, the wings disappearing.  
I didn't want her to die alone, so I broke through the crowd and ran to her. You were there, shocked, and something else that I don't even think you were aware of. Even now, you feel it, something even stronger that what you feel towards Serena."

"I can't risk hurting her again. The one time I tried to break up with her, she nearly died, and the things I said and did hurt her on an emotional level. She deserves better than that, especially after everything she sacrificed to get us back."

"You don't love her."

"No, but what choice do I have? It's not like I have someone else."

"Are you so certain? That is the past that you have to decide if you wish to remember. To do so, means you must let go of Serenity, and the hopes for Crystal Tokyo."

"I never wanted Crystal Tokyo. It seems each time we try to work towards that future, it only brings more darkness, stronger enemies, and leaving Serena to stand against it alone. She hates fighting and it kills something inside of her each time she's forced to take a life."

"I will not tell you know how it ended," Pluto spoke, "That is something you need to remember on your own, how we came into existence, and the why of it. How she came to live inside the crystal instead of the other way around, and why she has never left you in thousands of years, always appearing just when you needed her the most and right before she forced you into another life time to keep you away from Chaos."

"She didn't this time; why?"

"There isn't another life time to send you. The next battle, we will have to stand against Chaos; in every future, without her defeat, is nothing but black, darkness. The Sun Warrior knew this; I don't really know how, and she's waited an extremely long time for the Sailor Senshi you know now to put aside their differences, and become a unified team. She cannot fight this one alone as she had done in her first encounter with Chaos; however, when I first met her, the other planets barely got a long, and their were constant skirmishes. A minor few wanted peace, and those were the ones that had reached out to her, small acts of kindness out of the eyes of their parents and rulers."

"Sailor Moon became Sailor Cosmos in a war that never ended between Sailor Chaos and herself. She can never become Sailor Cosmos; she doesn't have the ability to fight without her friends, and taking them often leaves a chance that Chaos will win. The Sun Warrior is different; she always stood alone, and she'd do it again if necessary, but I don't think that will happen this time. I think now, if they join with her, their powers will unite and it's something the Universe has never seen before."

_No, you need one other, Sailor Earth. Without her, the link you speak of will never happen._

"Sailor Earth... I never knew this planet had a Sailor warrior."

_Each planet had a protector, but the Earth often came under attack first, mostly because that's where you were re-incarnated for most of your life times. Occasionally you were sent to other star systems, but Chaos seemed to concentrate on the Terran system and I couldn't afford to allow her to take it out. It's a key focal point to her efforts to destroy the universe._

"Why Earth though?"

_Humans were the easiest to corrupt and control, and the other planets cut off communications and assitance to them, fearful the darkness would spread. Sailor Chaos always seemed to find Sailor Earth just before she realized her powers and killed her, causing the star crystal to find another person to wield it. That person, she is here. I've sensed her for awhile, but only when she's near Serena and yourself._  
_It's one of Serena's friends?_

_Every Sailor Senshi in this life time, had or was her friend. This Earth Warrior is no different, and she has shown tremendous courage in the past. Serena will know._

Pluto had a thoughtful expression on her face; "There is a way to separate you and Serena, but she's quite stubborn."

"What are you talking about?"

"Has she tried to visit you since your return?"

"She barely leaves her room, and the other Senshi haven't been able to comfort her any better than I have."

"Find away and force her to confront the issue between Seiya and herself."

"Seiya... he's the one that helped her after we died?" Pluto nodded. "She's in love with him, isn't she?"

"She denies it, even though that is mostly the reason she sits in a dark room, weeping at night because she fears his reaction if they ever meet again. When she jumped into the Cauldron, she left the three Star Lights to watch, and they most likely assume she had died."

"Oh my god... Did Seiya have the same feelings for her?"

"He did."

Darien had a twisting pain in his chest each time he saw the image of the Sun Warrior lying at his feet; he could only imagine the pain Seiya himself suffered. Serena essentially had done the same thing, sacrificed herself in order to save them and her friends. "Why is she so different than the other Sailor Senshi?"

"Sailor Moon fights with her heart, not what everyone demands of her. Therefore, her potential is limitless and she ascended to her ultimate form in her last battle, Eternal Sailor Moon. The Sun Warrior had done the same, but without the aide of a star crystal."

"Can all of the Senshi ascend to that level?"

"There's a possibility, yes. However, they must let go of all hesitation, to fight with everything inside of the, and to have the ability to sacrifice themselves as Serena and the Sun Warrior had done."

"Does she have a name?"

"I'm not sure, she never spoke of it to my knowledge."

* * *

"I'm naming her Solara."

The corners of Pluto's mouth curved upwards, sensing the crystal's reaction. The Sun Warrior seemed agitated again, confused at the sudden interest in her, nor did she understand why Darien seemed so intent on reaching out to her. She had never relied on anyone, and she didn't want to do so now.

"Can I return here?"

"You may, but if you are to seek out answers to your past lives, I recommend working back, not forward."

"Why?"

"To better understand the level of her sacrifices and your enemy. The task before you is a painful one, and not one easily accomplished. Perhaps the Sun Warrior is correct and you are not yet ready for this kind of revelation."

"I'm doing this, Pluto. Perhaps not all in one session, but I don't think she'll let me go to far before she pulls me back."

_You have too much faith in me helping you, she hissed dangerously. You have no need to know this yet; can you not allow the memories to return on their own?_

_No, I can't. Every time I've done that, someone I care about is hurt or dies. I'm not letting Serena fight on her own again. I don't think she'll survive one, and second, if she truly cares for Seiya, I'm going to find a way to unite them._

_You were always a confusion to me. And you're lying, a part of you does love her._

_It's a different kind of love, not something easily explained. And perhaps I didn't have feelings towards you, but I think that changed somewhere, in one of my recent past lives, and it's only grown stronger. A part of me does remember, and the memories suggest that it's not a simple crush, but if something were to truly kill you; I won't want to survive._

_You can't! Don't you dare let her win! My life doesn't matter, it never has! You have to survive, or the entire Universe will collapse on itself._

_Careful... I might get the wrong impression and think you might actually care for someone._

She didn't respond, and he couldn't help the smirk on his face. It seemed he had managed to put a chink in her mental barriers and he had every intention of breaking it down entirely. She had been alone for far to long and he was determined to end that this time. "Who am I?" he demanded of Pluto.

"Someone of tremendous power, a warrior equal to none. How do you think you were able to take on three Sailor Senshi while under Beryl's control? You weren't inhibited with the human limitations you impose on yourself, but very close to the real you that could have killed the Sailor Senshi. A part of you was fighting Beryl's control and I'm wondering how much she had a part in that."

"Where do I start first?"

"Try the Silver Millennium; it's the first and only time she never appeared just before an attack."

_You're really going to do this, aren't you?_ She seemed resigned, almost sad and filled with regret. He wasn't like the other Warriors, somehow he knew what they were feeling and thinking, and she was no different. He saw past the mask she showed everyone, and straight to the real person.

_You could just show me yourself, but I don't think you're going to do that. _

_To remember through my eyes, will not help you to remember the way that you saw them. Have I ever seen you, other than inside the crystal, or before I almost died each time? We never spoke, not until now. I'm very tired, Darien, and the war will end this time; for her or for us; I guess it all depends on how strong the bonds are between the Sailor Senshi. If even one holds back, then the link remains weak and she will win. They must become fully unified, willing to put everything on the line, and not have their normal, petty squabbles about handling fights on their own. It hasn't worked in the past, and it won't work in the future._

"The other Sailor Senshi," he asked Pluto, "They don't know who I am, do they?"

"None of them possess the knowledge I have. The stories and legends of your existence began to fade over time, until eventually they were lost in old books and scrolls that very few bothered to read or research."

"How do we get the Star Lights here?"

"I suppose if their princess releases them from their responsibilities, then not so difficult."

"Work on that, and I'll start working on the mystery of our Sun Warrior. I don't suppose you can tell me on your own?"

"The story I told you was from my own experience; you must see it through the way you saw it, not myself. The time gates will help you with that, and you will see what you have experienced through your eyes, no one else. However, you are only an observer and not to change anything or you risk upsetting the entire balance of time and giving victory to Chaos. No one was capable of fighting her, nor did they have the strong bonds to each other until the Silver Millennium."  
Pluto vanished, leaving Darien to begin his journey to remembrance.


End file.
